Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to swimming fin devices and wearable structures that assist a wearer propelling himself through water. More specifically, the present invention discloses a wearable fin system that includes a lower leg portion and a boot portion that support substantially rectangular fins that allow a user to walk with the fins on and propel the user during a kicking motion while swimming.
Swimming fins are common articles in the art of diving and open water swimming. These articles are generally boot-worm appliances that extend the surface area of the wearer's foot to assist the user when submerged and propelling one's self through the water. The fins are typically flexible extensions that can be moved in an upward and downward motion to power the wearer in a forward direction with greater velocity than possible otherwise. The flexibility and enlarged surface area of the fins improves swimming efficiency, whereby the physical output of the swimmer is reduced while speed can be improved. The surface area of the fins displaces larger quantities of fluid as the swimmer kicks, creating greater propulsion from each kicking stroke that possible by the user's feet alone.
Common civilian applications include leisure snorkel swimming and underwater diving with a breathing apparatus. Military applications include various underwater operations in which speed or swimming efficiency is desired, including covert swimming operations or instances that require traversing large bodies of water. While swim fins are common devices in the art of diving, their design has inherent drawbacks that can be improved upon. Swimming fins are generally provided only affixed to a wearable boot, therefore its surface area is limited to the degree in which walking is inhibited or would be practical to support along the end of the wearer's foot. Potential fin placement along the rest of the user's legs is not capitalized upon, which otherwise would improve propulsion efficiency and power of the swimmer. Finally, as mentioned, walking on dry land is considerably hampered using traditionally elongated swimming fins, which extend well beyond the extent of the wearer's toes and prevent normal walking.
These drawbacks are addressed by the swimming fin system of the present invention. The fin system of the present invention includes a lower leg portion and a boot portion, whereby substantially rectangular fin members extend from the sides thereof to provide an elongated, split fin system that extends from the wearer's knees to the end of the wearer's feet. The lower leg portion extends from the knee to the ankle and includes a cylindrical body portion that secures to the leg of the wearer. The boot portion comprises a foot mold and secures around the heel and around foot of the wearer. Rectangular fin portions extend from the sides of the boot portion and do not extend substantially beyond the toes of the wearer. This combination of lower leg and boot fin provides increased fin surface area, a break in the fin to allow the boot fins to articulate relative to the lower leg fins, while also providing a boot configuration that allows for normal walking on dry land over traditionally elongated fin members.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to swimming fins for a user's legs and feet. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,235 to Lee, which discloses a swimming aid that includes a fin that is flexibly affixed at one end to the shin of a wearer and allowed to pivot from its connection with the shin of the wearer. A pair of straps supports a shin piece that is disposed over the shin, while the fin is flexibly attached to the upper portion of the shin piece. When the user kicks his or her leg, the fin articulates about its flexible connection to assist the user in the leg downswing, and to reduce drag on the upswing. While providing a fin connected to the lower leg of the user, the Lee device provides an articulating fin assembly that moves relative to the shin of the swimmer. The present invention provides static fin members along the lateral sides of the wearer's lower leg that do not move during a kicking motion.
Another device is U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0252289 to Johnson, which discloses a swim fin that is similarly affixable to the shin of a wearer. The device comprises a frame supported by an upper attachment and a lower attachment to the wearer. The frame supports a plurality of louvered blades that assist the user during a kicking stroke in the water. The louvers are semi-rigid blades separated by gaps and backed up by a flexible surface. The louvers blades allow water to flow through the frame in operation. The Johnson device comprises an offset, louvered surface relative to the shin of the wearer. Similar to Lee, Johnson fails to anticipate the lower leg portion of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,942 to Houck discloses a swim fin that comprises a shin sleeve with a pair of angled fins extending therefrom. The device comprises a shin sleeve that can be affixed to the wearer's shin between the knee and ankle, while a pair of fins is affixed within channels and extend away from the sleeve in a triangular flange configuration. The channels allow the fins to move relative to the sleeve along the wearer's lower leg, upwardly and downwardly during leg movements. Houck provides movable fin members along the lower leg of the user. The present invention contemplates static, substantially rectangular fin portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,059,443 to Cseki discloses another swimming device in which a blade is hinged to a leg piece affixable to a wearer's lower leg. The blade is hinged attached to the leg piece along its interior edge, whereby the blade can pivot relative to the leg piece during forward and backward movement of the leg. The hinged fin portions of Cseki fail to anticipate the rigid inner and outer rectangular fin portions of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,829 to Gronkowski discloses an apparatus for a swimmer that comprises a wearable set of inflatable fin members that are securable along the arms and legs of a wearer. The inflatable members are co-extensive with the length of the arm or leg of the wearer, and provide triangular projections that assist the propelling power of the wearer in the water.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 8,246,404 to Sweet discloses a foot worn swim fin that includes a leg portion and a boot portion and a first and second fin extending therefrom. The first fin is disposed along the leg portion, and the second fin is disposed along the boot. The leg portion and boot portion are both worn to provide a fin extending from the knee to the ankle, and then from the ankle to the toes of the wearer. While the swim fins of Sweet provides a boot portion and a lower leg portion, the lower leg portion of Sweet is one that terminates along the foot of the wearer. The lower edge of the leg fin is oblique to the upper fin portion, whereby overlap of the boot fin and the leg portion fins is facilitated. The Sweet device teaches away from the present invention in that the present invention contemplates a pair of rectangular fins that terminate at the lower edge of the lower leg portion, and do not overlap onto the boot fin portions.
The present invention therefore provides a lower leg fin member and a boot fin member that are aligned when the user aligns his foot with his lower leg during a plantar flexion movement. The fins of the lower leg portion do not overlap the fins of the boot portion, whereby both are substantially rectangular, rigid members that extend from the lateral sides of both portions.
Overall, the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing swimming fin devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.